
Thanet council plans to open a review into its policy of charging for replacement refuse and recycling bins.
The proposal is part of the authority’s latest financial plan. The plan, which was approved by Cabinet members last night (January 14) to go forward to a scrutiny panel and then Full Council next month, lays out ideas for improving services and generating income.
Among the proposals is the bin replacement review.
Charges for replacement recycling bins and bags came into force in April 2018 after Thanet council said it could no longer afford to provide them for free.
A statement at the time said: “Due to significant cuts from Central Government the council has to make significant savings and therefore can no longer afford to provide this service for free.”
Charges for waste containers (black bins) were brought in during 2017.
But this will now be reviewed with “an examination of fairer ways of charging for refuse and recycling bin replacements.”
Council leader Rick Everitt said: “This will start with a review of the circumstances under which we currently charge for the replacement of refuse / recycling bins.”
Current prices for replacements
Black 180ltr refuse container |
£38.00 |
Black seagull proof bag |
£10.00 |
Brown food caddy |
£9.00 |
Silver kitchen caddy |
£8.00 |
Red paper and card bag |
£8.00 |
Red 240Ltr Paper and Card container |
£48.00 |
Blue Mixed Recycling container (box) |
£9.50 |
Blue 240Ltr Mixed Recycling container |
£48.00 |
Large bins for communal properties | |
Brown 180 Ltr food caddy |
£38.00 |
360 Ltr red/blue container |
£55.00 |
940 Ltr Chamberlain metal container |
£325.00 |
1100 Ltr metal container |
£425.00 |
Well done rick, Labour looking after public again
One problem is the inconsistency with which this ‘policy’ is applied. Reading social media posts it is clear that ome people get told one thing while others are told the opposite.. some end up paying, some don’t. In a lot of cases containers are damaged by bin men, partly through wear and tear and in some cases by plastic degradation (the red bags).
Agreed.
Why should householders have to pay for bins that the refuse collectors refuse to return to the position where collected if stolen or blown over in the public footpath/road. Why should householders have to pay for replacement red paper/cardboard bags because the flap is damaged through lack of pulling back the flap by the collectors or because refuse collectors choose to drag the bag to the refuse vehicle causing damage to the bottom of the bag.
Why should householders have to wait for repairs to their bins the damage being caused by the collectors or the vehicle.
The fact that there is a 6 month waiting list for repairs shows the amount of damage caused.
Of course if one complains too often a note is made on the householders file as being an agitator.
I leave my bin on the boundary of my property [not on the public footpath] My gate is left closed to avoid my dog from wandering onto the public footpath of highway. What happens. The collectors open the gate leaving it open and then just leaving the bin on the footpath. Who is responsible if it is stolen or lost. The householder or the refuse collector.
So not only do we have to pay to dump rubbish at the tip, we will now have to pay for the bins to put it in, when are we going to have a council that has a bit of vision, what about advertising on the bins, I am sure Burger King, McDonald’s etc would love to advertise on the bins, might even get enough to reduce our Council Tax Bills, and Pigs might Fly.
I always thought, that the council is contracted to taking away household rubbish through the council tax. Afew years ago, I paid rates, and my bin was emptied, plus the binmen came to the rear of my house to take the bin, and return it, where is the new clause that states, I have to separate refuse, leave the receptacle on the road side, and pay for council workers damage
You only have to pay for a replacement bin.
My bin lid was damaged 2 months ago and when i reported it was told 20 weeks wait for repair, your talking about a black plug, by the time this is repaired the whole lid will need replacing
Mine was damaged the same by the binmen , a black plug, I reported it the same week. Nothing , a year later the other plug became lose so i rang the council again , The excuse was my bin may have been out of sight, true that as i keep it in my back garden and only put it out front on collection days, Ok man says leave it out front and it will be repaired within 2 weeks, nope so i rang council again , the repair was done the next day.
A truck pulls up , driver on his phone i guess , 2 men , engine running , they sat there for 15 mins, my bin was then taken and put on a lift up back and returned with a new black plug. Total time taken about 40 mins.
I guess at this rate they can only fix 15/20 a day.
Why they carnt send the binmen out with a bag of plugs an a hammer is behond me , or is it, Two mens jobs at stake , If the council had posted me a plug i could have done it myself.
My bins been stolen twice these last 12 months because the less desirables don’t want to pay so steal others. Why should the hard working people of Thanet compensate the council who wont do anything to improve the Isle at all?
THe charges are unfair my red bag was stolen after it was collected or not left by the bin men why should you pay for replacement when its no fault of your own
I put my bin out religiously the evening before collection, fine but when it is emptied it is left 4 or5 doors away if the council wants to improve waste collections maybe they should get their operatives to be a little
More diligent in there care.
Thanet Council’s waste and recycling service – the comedy gift which just keeps on giving.
Its nigh on impossible to get a good percentage of Cliftonville’s residents to be responsible as it is, let alone expect them to pay for anything.
The plan is just as daft of the long past idea of handing out blue bags for recycling, which in many cases just got used as normal dustbin liners, instantly contaminating the whole lot, that scheme was soon abandoned.
How many have experienced the “missed collection” trap? Missed collection , no problem you ring and report it, in the old days you’d get an apology and it’d be collected in 48 hours, but now you get a commitment to collect it in the next 5 working days, which although the crews work six days still retains a traditional “5 day working week”, so effectively they’ll pick it up next week. Next collection day arrives and its missed again, so you call and are told “sorry sir that address already has a reported missed collection”, to which you reply “yes that’s correct, but that was not rectified and its been missed again, so 2 missed collections”. “Sorry sir we can’t log another missed collection until the system has been cleared.” , “umm ok, but it is 2 missed collections” , “ not on this system sir”.
Another TDC ruse to make the numbers look better, but which at the same time on occasions ( usually when they have new refuse crews) means nothing gets sorted.
Welcome to the 3 ring circus